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Che, Summer Hours and Happy-Go-Lucky have been confirmed by Film Comment.

As a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee and a frequent contributor to Film Comment, I can safely say that Jeremy's post is incorrect - nothing has been confirmed by anyone. Thank you.

Kent Jones

Nagisa Oshima retro confirmed.

Any knowledge of whether the Oshima retro is a package that will travel as well, or is this a NYFF exclusive? It'd be great to see his stuff on the big screen, as many R1 DVDs (if available at all) are of piss-poor bootleg quality.

I assume it's the same retro that James Quandt has been putting together for years now at the Cinematheque Ontario, so I'm sure it'll travel.

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:I assume it's the same retro that James Quandt has been putting together for years now at the Cinematheque Ontario, so I'm sure it'll travel.

You are correct, sir.

If that is truly Kent Jones, welcome to the forum. I can't wait for this year's festival.

Jeremy wrote:Che, Summer Hours and Happy-Go-Lucky have been confirmed by Film Comment.

Kent Jones wrote:As a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee and a frequent contributor to Film Comment, I can safely say that Jeremy's post is incorrect - nothing has been confirmed by anyone. Thank you.

Oh... It admittedly struck me as odd that films were being hinted at by the magazine before the festival's submission deadline had even been reached. For the record, though, I wasn't just making this information up. These films were listed on the Film Comment website. The preview for the next issue read:

Special New York Film Festival preview:
Cover Story: Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che
Mike Leigh's new comedy Happy-Go-Lucky
Olivier Assayas's melancholy family drama Summer Days

This seems to have been removed from the site.

Welcome to the forum, in any case.

Jeremy wrote:For the record, though, I wasn't just making this information up. These films were listed on the Film Comment website. The preview for the next issue read:

Special New York Film Festival preview:
Cover Story: Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che
Mike Leigh's new comedy Happy-Go-Lucky
Olivier Assayas's melancholy family drama Summer Days

Myself, I take this to mean that the next issue of FC will include (1) a NYFF preview, (2) a cover story on Che, (3) a piece on Happy-Go-Lucky, and (4) a piece on Summer Days.

I disagree. I think Jeremy is reading this correctly, and come announcement time, I bet all three films will be there.

backstreetsbackalright wrote:

Jeremy wrote:For the record, though, I wasn't just making this information up. These films were listed on the Film Comment website. The preview for the next issue read:

Special New York Film Festival preview:
Cover Story: Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che
Mike Leigh's new comedy Happy-Go-Lucky
Olivier Assayas's melancholy family drama Summer Days

Myself, I take this to mean that the next issue of FC will include (1) a NYFF preview, (2) a cover story on Che, (3) a piece on Happy-Go-Lucky, and (4) a piece on Summer Days.

chaddoli wrote:I disagree. I think Jeremy is reading this correctly...

Yeah, when I saw that on their site awhile back, I also though that the semi-colon kind of implied that the list pertains to their NYFF preview. Of course, you would probably have to call in the Grammar Police to get a definitive answer.

I would hope they are all there. That'd be a pretty healthy start to a memorable lineup.

Looks like we have a contender for 2008's dumbest criterionforum "controversy".

Festival screenings will be held in the Ziegfeld Theater this year, since Alice Tully Hall is still undergoing reconstruction--I guess they want no part of the Rose Theater this time around.

Oh, and welcome back, Barmy.

I had heard that about the Ziegfeld but wasn't sure if it was on the QT or not. I think that's pretty awesome -- who ever guessed that a good movie would play in the Ziegfeld again!

As I understand the NYFF selection process, the formal invitations haven't been issued yet, and won't be until after the selection committee meets in August. However ... by this point the committee members have seen a lot of the obvious candidates at other festivals, and most of them have written about Cannes (for instance, Kent's roundup in Film Comment and his comments on Dave Kehr's blog), so there are a lot of clues out there if one wants to handicap the race. My guess is that the three films mentioned on the FC cover are very strong candidates at this point and some miscommunication led to an overstatement of their status.

Laurent Cantet's The Class (Entre les murs) is the Opening Night Film.

The Ziegfeld is infinitely superior to Rose Hall. And they frequently show good movies--they ran Planet of the Apes for a bit a few months back. Too bad about that opening night selection. Zzz. Last year's selection avoided some of the esoterica that has plagued this thing in the last few years. There's nothing worse than watching slow art films in a massive theater filled with bored seniors. If Lisa Schwarzbaum ever leaves the selection committee I may give up on this.

Barmy wrote:If Lisa Schwarzbaum ever leaves the selection committee I may give up on this.

#-o

Barmy wrote:The Ziegfeld is infinitely superior to Rose Hall. And they frequently show good movies--they ran Planet of the Apes for a bit a few months back. Too bad about that opening night selection. Zzz. Last year's selection avoided some of the esoterica that has plagued this thing in the last few years. There's nothing worse than watching slow art films in a massive theater filled with bored seniors. If Lisa Schwarzbaum ever leaves the selection committee I may give up on this.

The Class is the farthest thing from a "slow art film". It's basically a French Dangerous Minds, with the melodrama bumped down a notch or two (which is my problem with it...).

If it's subtitled, it's a slow art film.

Barmy wrote:If it's subtitled, it's a slow art film.

What a beauty! (Although as female film critics go....)

Jeremy wrote:The Class is the farthest thing from a "slow art film". It's basically a French Dangerous Minds, with the melodrama bumped down a notch or two (which is my problem with it...).

So does that mean we'll get the French equivalent to the Coolio video with François Bégaudeau in a leather jacket learnin' a thing or two about the streets?

tavernier wrote:What a beauty! :roll: (Although as female film critics go....)

For us uninitiated -- whose picture is this?

Lisa Schwartzbaum....Barmy's fave NYFF Selection Committee member.

It's sexy authoress, Entertainment Weekly critic and NYFF selection committee member Lisa Schwartzbaum!!! =P~